Make the כרובים out of the Ark’s cover
ועשית שנים כרובים זהב, מקשה תעשה אתם משני קצות הכפרת
And you shall make two golden Cherubs; you shall hammer them out from the two ends of the ark’s cover.[i]
Question – What exactly are these Cherubs?
In the command to build the Aron, Moshe is told to hammer out from the two ends of the cover of the Aron (the כפורת) two (2) golden כרובים.
- What exactly are these כרובים?
Contextual Background
The Gemara[ii] also asks this question: ‘and what is a כרוב. Rabbi Avahu said, “like [the word] רביא – as the Babylonians call a child a רביא.”[1]
Rashi explains that they had the faces of small children. Thus, the כרובים are golden figures with the faces of young children.
Expanding the Question
When we examine the blueprint of the Mishkan, every single item has a defined, practical function for the Divine service. For example, the Menorah provides illumination; the Shulĉan holds the shewbread; the altar is used for bringing offerings; etc. Even the Aron itself is a functional housing unit designed to store the לוחות, the Sefer Torah Moshe had written, the jar of Manna and the staff of Aharon.
- What, then, is the functional purpose of the כרובים? They hold nothing, they process nothing, and no physical service is performed upon them.
The Rejection of “Decoration”
One might suggest that the כרובים were merely decorative or symbolic, much like the images of כרובים that were woven directly into the fabric of the Separating Curtain – פרוכת.[2] However, a deeper analysis of Mikdash history proves that they could not have been mere decoration, for three (3) reasons:
- The Aron Already Had a Crown
If the goal was simply to adorn the Aron with a symbol of royalty or beauty, the Torah had already provided one. Just a few verses[iii] earlier, the Torah commands the creation of a זר זהב סביב – a golden crown surrounding the rim of the Aron. The כרובים represent a massive, complex addition of solid gold that goes far beyond standard ornamentation.
- King Shlomo’s Addition
When King Shlomo built the first Base Hamikdash, he did not simply rely on the כרובים attached to the Aron. He constructed two colossal, free-standing כרובים out of olive wood, each ten (10) amos tall, whose wings spanned the entire width of the קודש הקדשים.[iv] If כרובים were merely a decorative “lid” for the Aron, why would Shlomo dedicate such immense space and resources to build independent, free-standing ones? They must have represented a distinct, critical function of the Sanctuary.
- The Absence in the Second Temple
The Gemara[v] lists five (5) critical elements that were present in the first Base Hamikdash but missing from the second. Among them was the Aron, which King Yoshiyahu had hidden.[vi]
While logically the returning exiles under Ezra could not replace the Aron – because, while the Aron is merely a box, it wasn’t just any box. Its defining characteristic was as a container of the irreplaceable לוחות inside. However, that logic doesn’t apply to the free-standing כרובים.
- Why didn’t they carve new wooden, free-standing כרובים to replicate Shlomo’s design? Since they were just made of olive wood and gold, they could have easily been rebuilt!
The fact that they were not replaced proves that the כרובים were not architectural decorations. They served a specific, active purpose—and without the underlying spiritual conditions of the First Temple, rebuilding the physical statues would have been completely useless.
This brings us back to our fundamental question:
- What is the purpose of the כרובים?
In other words, what active role did these child-faced (Cherubic) figures play in the operation of the Mishkan?
Compounding the Topic
Angels of Wrath and Destruction or Agents of Love
To understand the purpose of the כרובים, we must first identify the spiritual ‘entities’ they were designed to represent. When we trace the identity of the “כרוב” throughout the Torah, both written and oral, we encounter a glaring contradiction regarding their fundamental nature.
- Angels of Destruction (The Guards of the Garden of Eden)
The first time כרובים appear in the Torah is following the sin of Adam and Ĉava.[vii] After expelling humanity from the Garden of Eden, G-d stations the כרובים at the entrance, with a “revolving flaming sword,” to guard the path to the Tree of Life. Commenting on this verse, Rashi explicitly defines these כרובים asמלאכי חבלה – Angels of Destruction. In this context, the כרובים are destructive sentinels. Their entire purpose is exclusion – to violently bar impure humanity from re-entering the Holy place.
- The Embrace of Divine Love (The Center of the Sanctuary)
Conversely, in the context of the Mishkan and theBase Hamikdash, the כרובים represent the exact opposite. They are the ultimate symbol of intimacy, inclusion, and love between G-d and the Jewish people. The Gemara[viii] describes a stunning scene:
During the Pilgrimage Festivals, the Kohanim would roll back the פרוכת so the people could see the כרובים miraculously intertwined with one another in an embrace. The Kohanim would declare to the masses: “Behold, your fondness before the Omnipresent is like the fondness of a male and female!” Furthermore, the Gemara[ix] notes that the physical posture of the כרובים served as a real-time barometer of the nation’s spiritual state. When the Jewish people fulfilled G-d’s will, the Cherubim faced one another in love; when they sinned, they turned their faces toward the walls.
This leaves us with a profound theological and textual contradiction:
- Are the Cherubim agents of wrath meant to guard the holy spaces and keep humanity out, or are they the ultimate agents of Divine embrace, beckoning the Jewish people in?
- How can the exact same class of angels perform both roles?
- Finally, returning to the physical depiction: If they are Angels of Destruction wielding flaming swords, why did G-d command Moshe to craft them with the faces of young children?
Determining their identity
To understand their purpose as angelic beings, we can first understand their names, which will give us insight into their function.
The כרובים are discussed in the Pardes Rimonim[x]. Rabeinu Moshe Cordovero (RMK) first quotes an initial theory about the identity of the כרובים as being angelic beings, which is understandable given that one of the types of angels, as enumerated by the Rambam[xi]. This opinion identified the two כרובים on the Aron as being the angels:
- מטטרון – the heavenly administrator, the angel who is the manifestation of the system the descent of the divine will into and within the natural world.
- סנדלפון – the angelic counterpart of Metatron, who is noted in the Midrash as being the angel who ‘gathers the prayers of the Jewish people and weaves them into crowns for G-d.’
The RMK rejects this idea and instead determines that the כרובים on the Aron represent the dynamic connection points (מכריעים) of the Sefiros of Tifferes and Malĉus.
To understand this in general, we will need to explain briefly something about these two Sefiros:
- תפארת (Harmony): This attribute represents the core “Masculine” dynamic of the Divine. It represents the giving of the Written Torah. In Kabbalistic literature, Tifferes is often described as being synonymous with קודשא בריך הוא – G-d.
- מלכות – (Royalty): This attribute represents the core “Feminine” dynamic of the Divine. It represents the recipient of the Torah. In Kabbalistic literature, Malchus is often described as being synonymous with כנסת ישראל – the collective soul of the Jewish people.
The Embrace of the Sefiros
With this Kabbalistic framework in mind, the Gemara’s description of the כרובים embracing can be understood in a deeper sense: One כרוב represents G-d (Tifferes) and the other represents the Jewish people (Malĉus).
The ultimate goal of all Torah study and Mitzvos is to unify these two – to bring Heaven down to Earth, to have G-d rest among the Jewish people, into a state of perfect oneness (known as יחוד קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתה). And this goal became physically manifest when the Base Hamikdash stood, and the Jewish people fulfilled G-d’s will. Then the connection between Tifferes and Malĉus was whole, and reflecting this, the physical כרובים miraculously faced one another in an embrace. When the people sinned, the connection was suppressed, and the כרובים turned away.
While this explains the spiritual reflection of the embrace of the כרובים, we are still left with understanding their purpose. If it was simply a barometer of determining how strong and overt the Jewish people’s connection to G-d stood at a particular moment, then why would the כרובים be placed within the קודש קדשים instead of out in the open where everyone could see – and if necessary, take action to correct wrongdoings as soon as the כרובים began turning away from each other.
Deepening the Inquiry: The Halaĉic Contradiction
To understand this, we also have to note one of the unique characteristics of this Mitzva – namely an explicit contradiction in the Torah regarding the very Mitzva requiring us to design the כרובים in the first place:
Immediately following[3] the giving of the Torah, the Jewish people are commanded[xii] לא תעשון אתי אלהי בסף. The Gemara[xiii] explains that the phrase אתי – with me is talking about ‘those who serve me [G-d]’; meaning angels. Specifically, we are commanded against making images of the כרובים (as well as other similar images).
Granted, as noted before, the RMK rejects the idea that the כרובים are representations of the specific angels, Metatron and Sandalphon, nevertheless, the prohibition is not limited to an angel-specific representation, but includes all ‘those who serve me [G-d]’. And then, a short time later, G-d specifically commands Moshe to build exactly that!
If building these forms is an inherent violation of the Torah’s laws against idolatrous imagery, how can it be the centerpiece of the Mishkan, not just in the קודש קדשים but hammered out of the כפורת making them of a piece literally with the cover of the Aron?!
A time to act for G-d
This glaring exception serves as a powerful conceptual basis for a famous Rabbinic principle. The verse[xiv] in Tehillim states: עת לעשות לה’, הפרו תורתך – It is a time to act for G-d; they have voided Your Torah.
The Sages frequently[xv] invoke this verse to explain situations where a literal ruling of the Torah must be temporarily superseded to preserve or fulfill G-d’s ultimate Will[4].
The making of the כרובים are the ultimate Halaĉic precedent and physical embodiment of this concept. The Torah forbids the making of celestial images because they inevitably lead the human mind toward idolatry and separation from G-d. However, in the deepest chamber of the Mishkan, atthe epicenter of the connection to G-d, this “voiding of the Torah” is exactly what is required to “act for G-d.”
The question, of course, is why? What is so vital about the function of these כרובים that it justifies overriding a Biblical prohibition, especially one that had already previously led the world to idolatry.
Foundational Principles
The Blueprint for the Soul
To resolve the paradox of the כרובים ad the mystery of their function, we must first reiterate the purpose of the Mishkan in which they were placed.
The Torah provides us with the reason for building the Mishkan explicitly at the very beginning of the commands on how to build it, when it states in the verse[xvi] ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם – and make for me a holy place, and I will dwell among them.
Our sages point out that G-d does not say בתוכו – [and I will dwell] in it. Rather, the G-d said בתוכם – [and I will dwell] among them, among each and every single one of them.
This teaches us the guiding principle: The ultimate dwelling place for the Divine Presence is not a physical building made of wood, silver, and gold. The true Mishkan is the Jewish person. G-d desires to dwell within us, and commands us to build for him a person capable of doing so.
If the goal is the internal connection to G-d, why did G-d command the construction of a physical structure? The physical Mishkan – and all the commands in the Torah regarding its construction – were given to provide a living framework and a visible example of the answer to ‘How to make it so that G-d can dwell among us’. Human beings are physical creatures who learn through tangible realities. The Mishkan serves as a physical map to refining the person into a fit dwelling place for the divine.
Every vessel in the Mishkan represents a different faculty of human life that must be dedicated to G-d. For example, the Shulĉan (Table) represents the requirement to dedicate our material sustenance towards G-dly pursuits, the outer altar represents the requirement to refine the physical desires – the animal soul – in fiery passion for G-d. By studying how these physical vessels were constructed and arranged, we are given a step-by-step manual on how to build our own internal lives to become vessels for the divine. When a person aligns their personal “vessels” with this Divine blueprint, they ensure that G-d’s presence rests upon them in an open, revealed fashion.
This brings us back to the כרובים. If every physical vessel corresponds to a piece of our internal, spiritual lives, then the כרובים are not just statues in a room in the Mishkan. They are the most profound, rule-breaking, and critical element within the human soul. Which is?
Answer
The Dual Nature of the כרובים
With the above in mind, this explains why the כרובים are simultaneously depicted as Angels of Destruction (guarding the Garden of Eden) and agents of profound love (in the Mishkan). In the Mishkan, the כרובים are not static entities; they are the dynamic access points between Tifferes (G-d’s relationship with the Jewish people) and Malĉus (G-d’s relationship with the world).
When humanity is aligned with Divine Will, these connection points are unified. The result is a tangible, visible embrace that radiates holiness into the world. However, when mankind sins and fractures that relationship, the כרובים turn away from one another. In that state of disconnect, the very same connection becomes “Angels of Destruction” wielding flaming swords, barring impure humanity from accessing their original state in the Garden of Eden. The energy of the Divine, when untethered from human righteousness, becomes a destructive force against evil.
כרובים in our Personal Mishkan
Applying this to our personal Mikdash, we are required to install these same components within ourselves. The כרובים don’t just sit atop the Aron, they are hammered out of the cover making them an intrinsic part of the Aron. The Aron represents our direct, spiritual and intellectual connection to G-d through our knowledge of G-d and the Torah.
But that isn’t their only location, the כרובים are also woven directly into the פרוכת – the curtain that separates that which is “Holy of Holies” from the otherwise mundane.
Our service to G-d – our mandate to create a divine dwelling place on earth – depends entirely on our ability to integrate these two realms. We must connect the Absolute Truth of the Aron with the reality of the outside world, and we must do so in a manner that is beneficial and loving to our fellow man. If we fail to integrate properly – if we horde our spirituality or use it to look down upon others – our connection to holiness turns toxic. Religion without human integration becomes a destructive force, yielding the “flaming swords” of zealotry rather than the embrace of the Divine.
The Empathy of Children
How, then, do we practically achieve this integration? This is precisely why the physical כרובים were crafted with the faces of young children.
The Gemara[xvii] raises a fascinating contradiction regarding this very point. The prophet Yeĉezkel describes[xviii] the faces of the celestial beings, listing both the “face of a כרוב” and the “face of a אדם”.
Abaya asks: that very contradiction of Rabbi Avahu – If a כרוב has a human face, aren’t the כרובים and the אדם the exact same thing? The Gemara[5] answers: אפי רברבי אפי זוטרי – one is the face of an adult, and one is the face of a child.
This is not merely a semantic distinction; it is the Talmudic method for concealing fundamental Kabbalistic concepts within the text of the Gemara.
In Kabbalah, there are generally two descriptions describing human consciousness: אפי רברבי – the adult face, (in Ĉassidic terms מוחין דגדלות – Maturity) and אפי זוטרי – the childlike face (in Ĉassidic terms מוחין דקטנות – Immaturity).
As a person matures into adulthood, the mind exerts increasing dominance over the heart. While adult emotions may run deeper, they are often colder and more calculated, guarded by the walls of intellectual analysis. In a child, however, the intellectual filters are underdeveloped. The emotional aspect of the person is incredibly powerful, immediate, and unfiltered. A child displays their connection, love, and empathy openly on their face.
When we attempt to connect the Torah (the Aron) with the outside world, Abaye’s distinction tells us exactly which face is required. We are warned not to use the אפי רברבי the cool, detached intellectual approach of the mature adult or the isolated sage. We see this danger in the history of חנוך (who became the angel Metatron). חנוך achieved towering spiritual heights to the point where G-d shed his body and he became an angelic being, but his approach was entirely detached from the degenerative reality of his generation. Because he could not properly connect with and influence his fellow man, he was removed from the world entirely.
To truly unite Tifferes and Malĉus on earth, our connection points must be presented using אפי זוטרי – the warm, unshielded, empathic connection of a child. It is this raw emotional warmth – not cold intellectualism – that allows the כרובים to embrace. When we look at our fellow Jew with the open, empathic face of a child, we ensure that our Torah brings healing and unity to the world, rather than the flaming sword of destruction.
The Difference between the First and Second Base Hamikdash
This answers the architectural mystery of the First and Second בתי מקדש. King Shlomo built his Base Hamikdash in an era of unprecedented peace and unity. The Jewish people possessed the spiritual capacity to incorporate this divine connection and project it outward toward their fellows. Therefore, Shlomo could build massive, free-standing Cherubim to reflect that expansive, societal embrace.
The Second Base Hamikdash, however, was tragically defined by internal strife and baseless hatred (שנאת חינם). Even from the start, the people were not as unified as they were in the first conquering of the land of Israel – to the point that the Levi’im didn’t even ascend with those who followed Ezra. The people possessed the outer zealous framework of the Jewish faith, but they were lacking the internal integration and brotherly love required to unite Tifferes and Malĉus. Because they were failing to connect the Truth of Torah to the “outside world” in a beneficial way, the physical כרובים could not be rebuilt. The Aron instead had to remain hidden and the free-standing כרובים – the ultimate symbol of unity between G-d, Torah, and the Jewish people – cannot exist in a house divided.
AND THEREFORE…
Reaching beyond the Curtain
This provides the ultimate context for when to apply the Rabbinic principle: עת לעשות לה’, הפרו תורתך – It is a time to act for G-d; void Your Torah. Sometimes, a person’s internal spiritual life is perfectly intact. Behind the פרוכת, their Aron is secure, and their Torah study is wholesome. But outside the curtain, in the real world, there is brokenness and alienation. The lesson of the כרובים is that in such times, one is commanded not to close the curtain and hide in the Holy of Holies. To re-establish the connection between G-d and the world (Tifferes and Malĉus), one must be willing to step outside their spiritual comfort zone. To “act for G-d,” one must sometimes seemingly go against the standard strictures of the Torah to heal the world and pull a fellow Jew back in. That is why G-d commanded us to make the כרובים, which commandment overrides the most severe Biblical prohibition – namely that against making golden images. Creating that connection between G-d, the Torah, and the physical world is the whole point of the Torah itself!
[1] In other words, the Hebrew word כְרוב is to be understood as כ-רביא, which is phonetically similar, and that means as a child.
[2] Side note: the way they were woven into the fabric is different than the description of the כרובים on the Aron. Here, one side was woven with a lion, while the other side was woven with an eagle. When looking through the פרוכת (not that the פרוכת was physically transparent – we are obviously talking about the spiritual light from the קודש קדשים manifesting itself physically and making the פרוכת transparent) the two images become superimposed, leaving the onlooker with the impression of a creature that was both lion and eagle. Which is the source of the mundane legends of the Griffon.
[3] The reason for the decree being issued at that point is because the Jewish people had just experienced a revelation where “the heavens opened up” and they were able to see all of creation, physical, spiritual and divine – to note, there is no other G-d. In doing so, the Jewish people had become aware of, in a very real sense, the existence of the angels, and thus – like those who lived in pre-flood times – they could be tempted to design modes of worship addressing these angelic beings. We are therefore commanded to NOT make any image of any celestial being. See negative Mitzva 22 by the Sefer Mitzvos Gedolos.
[4] Such as the decision to write down the Oral Torah.
[5] It is unclear if the Gemara answered, or Rabbi Avahu did, or Abaya did.
[i] Shemos 25:18
[ii] Gem. Suka 5b
[iii] Shemos 25:11
[iv] Melaĉim I 6:23-28
[v] Gem. Yoma 21b
[vi] See Gem. Yoma 53b and Rambam laws of the Base Hamikdash 4:1
[vii] Beraishis 3:24
[viii] Gem. Yoma 54a
[ix] Gem. Bava Basra 99a
[x] Pardes 23:11
[xi] Laws of the Foundational principles of Torah 2:7
[xii] Shemos 20:20
[xiii] Gem. Rosh Hashana 24b and Avoda Zara 43a
[xiv] Tehillim 119:126
[xv] For examples, see Gem. Beraĉos 54a, 63a, Gitin 60a, Tamid 27b, Temura 14b, Yoma 69a
[xvi] Shemos 25:8
[xvii] See above. Gem. Suka 5b
[xviii] Yeĉezkel 10:14